[08/17/10 - 02:03 PM]ABC Is No. 1 on Monday in Adults 18-49 Among the Major NetworksABC spins the numbers for Monday, August 16.

[via press release from ABC]

Quick Take for Monday, August 16, 2010
(National Live + Same Day Program Ratings)

ABC is No. 1 on Monday in Adults 18-49 among the Major Networks,
Up on the Year-Ago Night for the 3rd Straight Week and on 9 of the Last 10

ABC's "Bachelor Pad" is No. 1 in its Time Period Among Key Women Demos

"Dating in the Dark" is No. 1 at 10pm Against CBS and NBC in Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34, While Leading the Hour Overall Among Key Women

"Dating in the Dark" Retains 100% of its Week-Ago Premiere
in Adults 18-34, While Building on Women 18-34 by 5%

Monday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.)

ABC's Monday lineup of "Bachelor Pad" and "Dating in the Dark" ranked No. 1 on the night among the major networks among Adults 18-49 (1.8/5-tie).

· ABC improved on the same Monday last summer (8/17/09) by 38% in Adults 18-49 (1.8/5 vs. 1.3/4), up year to year for the 3rd straight Monday and for the 9th time on the last 10 weeks.

"Bachelor Pad" (8:00-10:01 p.m.)

"Bachelor Pad" led its 2-hour time period for the 2nd consecutive week among Women 18-49 (2.7/8) and Women 25-54 (3.2/8). The new summer series grew its young adult audience by 24% (1.7/6 to 2.1/6) from its first half-hour to its final-half hour.

· "Bachelor Pad" was up over the Net's year-ago performance (8/17/10) in the time period by 19% in Adults 18-49 (1.9/6 vs. 1.6/5).

"Dating in the Dark" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

ABC's "Dating in the Dark" ranked No. 1 against its CBS and NBC competition in the hour Adults 18-49 (1.5/4) and Adults 18-34 (1.5/4), while leading the hour overall among Women 18-34 (2.1/7) and Women 18-49 (2.1/6). The ABC unscripted series retained 100% of its week-ago season-opener in Adults 18-34, while building on its premiere by 5% in Women 18-34 (2.1/7 vs. 2.0/6).

· "Dating in the Dark" saw increases in the time period for ABC over the same night last year in Total Viewers (+12% - 3.7 million vs. 3.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (+67% - 1.5/4 vs. 0.9/3).

A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating comparisons based on the Live + Same Day data stream are distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has jumped up to 37% currently, from 32% at the same point in 2009. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight next day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.

Source: Nielsen Media Research (National Live + Same Day Program Ratings), 8/16/10.